Erase iOS & Android Data Permanently

There are various situations in which performing a hard reset or a factory reset on an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus seems ideal. Whether you are planning on selling your old iPhone, giving it to a family member, or you are simply fed up with persistent system glitches and working issues, a reset is often the most effective troubleshooting step. By performing a factory reset, you will erase all data and settings, and you will be able to use the iPhone as a brand-new one.

Before diving into the exact steps on how to reset iPhone 8, you first need to clearly understand the fundamental differences between a hard reset, soft reset, and factory reset. A soft reset is essentially just a basic software operation—a simple reboot—and it guarantees that it keeps the data intact on your iPhone no matter what.

On the other hand, a factory reset performs two critical functions simultaneously; it comprehensively reconfigures your iPhone to its original manufacturer settings and erases all pieces of data entirely from the internal storage. So, when the device finally restarts, a fresh reinstallation sequence is automatically initiated, and this allows the user to set up the iPhone as new.

However, a hard reset is particularly useful when the device is completely frozen or not functioning properly. This means the settings of the device need abrupt changes without relying on the screen. It safely clears the temporary memory associated with the hardware and restarts the device's logic board. After the hard reset, the CPU kicks start the applications installed on the device fresh. Typically, the hard reset is used when there is a severe bug or temporary software loop inside the iPhone. But if you want to upgrade the firmware properly or permanently remove some serious problems, then a factory reset will be much more suitable for you. Now, we will move on to exploring how to reset iPhone 8 and 8 Plus using any one of these three targeted methods.

Part 1. Force restart or hard reset iPhone 8/8 Plus

Before you learn exactly how to hard reset iPhone 8, it is incredibly important that you perform a complete backup of the device to iCloud or your computer. Although a hard reset does not delete personal files, system interruptions can sometimes lead to unexpected behavior. Once the backup is safely done, you can confidently proceed with the hard reset process to fix a frozen screen.

As you know, Apple completely changed the force restart combination for this generation. There are 3 critical buttons on iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, i.e., the volume up, volume down, and the side Power button. A specific sequential combination of these buttons is used to perform the hard reset as detailed below:

1. Step 1 Press the Volume Buttons Sequentially

   To begin, ensure your screen is visible. Quickly press the volume up button and quickly release it. Immediately repeat the exact same action with the Volume Down button.

2. Step 2 Hold the Power Button

   Now immediately press the Power (Side) button and hold it down tightly for a few seconds. Do not release it when you see the slide to power off screen. When the Apple logo finally appears on the black screen, release the power button and the hard reset sequence will be fully initiated.

Wait patiently while the hard reset finishes booting the operating system, and your iPhone will start working efficiently once again, free from frozen screens or lags.

Part 2. Soft reset or restart iPhone 8/8 Plus

The soft reset is simply just like standardly restarting the iPhone normally. It is the most basic troubleshooting step available. So, you don’t have to follow a highly technical typical guide on how to reset iPhone 8 plus for this one. You only need to follow the simple hardware steps below:

1. Step 1 Initiate the Power Screen

   Press the power button (on the right side) and hold it down until the "slide to power off" Slider appears clearly on the screen.

2. Step 2 Shut Down the Device

   Slide the virtual icon to the right side of the screen and wait for a few seconds as the device power completely shuts down and the screen goes black.

3. Step 3 Turn the iPhone Back On

   Restart your iPhone by simply pressing the Power button once more and holding it steadily until the Apple logo pops-up on the screen.

Don’t worry at all; a standard soft restart does absolutely no harm to the device and makes sure that the personal data is perfectly safe. The soft reset comes in incredibly handy when a specific app is temporarily unresponsive, crashing continuously, or generally misbehaving on the device.

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Part 3. 3 ways to factory reset iPhone 8/8 Plus

When it deeply comes to the concept of iPhone 8 hard reset via hardware buttons, there is technically only one reliable method to do it. But for the complete Factory reset, which wipes everything clean, there are several distinct methods available depending on your situation. You can intuitively use any of the methods below which best fit your requirement.

Method 1. Factory reset iPhone 8/8 Plus without iTunes

If you desperately want to perform a deep factory reset on iPhone 8 without passcode or if you simply hate using iTunes, you need a specialized third-party solution.

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You can quickly take help from Dr.Fone - Data Eraser. This powerful application is specially developed so that everyday users can easily perform a military-grade factory reset with literally one-click on their computers. It will rigorously protect your privacy before selling the device and systematically makes sure that all junk files, caches, and deeply hidden personal remnants are erased from the iPhone completely and permanently.